What to do with old Winona bridge when new one is ready

One proposal is a pedestrian bridge

The Winona bridge project is moving ahead faster than expected.  

MNDOT project manager Terry Ward says the new span over the Mississippi could be ready for traffic by this fall.

Ward attributes part of the speed to the strategy of hiring a contractor to break down the costs for separate parts of the project.  

It’s because of that process that the proposals for renovating the current bridge are estimated at about $30 million more than planned.  

When the new bridge is finished, one option for the old bridge is to open it to pedestrians only.

That idea has been floated by citizens in the Winona area and Ward says it has been considered, but it isn’t that easy. The 75-year-old structure might not be able to withstand the weight.

“A structure that’s converted to a ped bridge, if the whole surface area of a structure is available to pedestrians,” Ward explained, “in theory, it’s higher loading than traffic, because you could have people standing shoulder to shoulder.”

Essentially, Ward says, walkers could put more weight on the aging bridge, and stay there longer, than moving traffic.

Ward says a pedestrian lane might be included as part of a renovation of the existing bridge.